The UN press service said earlier that the organization’s peace envoy for Yemen will hold separate meetings with the conflicting parties with a hope to bring them to the negotiations table

GENEVA, June 16. /TASS/. The delegation of Houthi (Shia rebels, supporters of the Ansar Allah movement) and representatives of the former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh have arrived to Geneva to hold consultations about the situation in the country, a diplomatic source told TASS on Tuesday.

The UN press service said earlier that the organization’s peace envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will hold separate meetings with the conflicting parties with a hope to bring them to the negotiations table. According to initial plans, consultations will continue for 2-3 days.

Situation in Yemen

Confrontation between Yemeni authorities and Shiite rebels — Houthis — became more intense in August 2014. In January 2015, the military wing of Houthis, Ansar Allah, captured the country’s capital Sanaa. Under pressure from rebels, President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the government led by Khaled Mahgouz Bahah resigned.

The Yemeni president was forced to move to Aden. After Houthis entered the city on March 25, he left the country.

Hadi called on Persian Gulf monarchies to interfere. On March 26, Saudi Arabia, supported by regional allies, launched an air operation against Houthis, codenamed Decisive Storm. Later it turned into another operation, Renewal of Hope.

According to the World Health Organization, as of June 12, the Yemeni conflict killed over 2,500 and left some 11,000 people wounded.

The holding of consultations on the situation in Yemen was initially scheduled to take place in Geneva May 28, but two days prior to the set date it was announced that they will be delayed "on a request from the government of Yemen and other participants of the process." In early June a spokesman for the UN chief announced that consultations will start June 14, but then they were postponed to June 15.

On Monday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who started Geneva consultations on the situation in Yemen, called upon to break the way to end the conflict in the country.